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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389545">There For Him</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/zodiacperalta/pseuds/zodiacperalta'>zodiacperalta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Social Network, The Social Network (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boyfriends, Harvard Era, Harvard University, Hurt/Comfort, Lost Inspiration, M/M, Markwardo - Freeform, Sickfic, Whump, idk - Freeform, this is bad sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:42:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/zodiacperalta/pseuds/zodiacperalta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wardo looks after sick Mark, Dustin thinks it’s cute.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eduardo Saverin &amp; Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin/Mark Zuckerberg, MarkWardo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>( This is SO bad and I kinda lost inspiration. I thought I’d upload so it wouldn’t be a total waste of time. Also sick Mark is one of my fav scenarios idk) <br/>However i hope you enjoy it ! I’m open to any requests or ideas :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eduardo sat on Mark’s bed. Mark was busy working on thefacebook so they had only said a few words to each other in the past couple of hours but it didn’t matter. Eduardo enjoyed Mark’s company, his little sighs of relief and grunts of frustration when the coding went right or wrong. They’d been inseparable ever since they met. Wardo sometimes felt that no one saw Mark in the same way he did. It was about midnight by now and Mark was still working. He’d been at it for hours, long before Eduardo got there. Mark was always pushing himself to do more than anyone else. It was like he was addicted to work. Eduardo dreaded to think about when the last time Mark had some rest or a proper meal was. It wasn’t unusual for Mark to refuse food and sleep until he was finished which couldn’t be good. </p>
<p>In addition, there was an illness going around Harvard that had infected many students. A lot of the classes were sparsely filled due to the lack of attendance. Dustin had been MIA for almost two weeks with it, a terrible cough ravaging his chest and a fever that made him sweat and shiver at the same time. He’d spent the past two weeks stretched out on the couch in their common living space playing video games and sleeping. Dustin’s illness “scared the shit” out of Chris as he hated to see Dustin suffer. Mark, as usual, took little notice of Dustin’s affliction as he did with almost anything else. Eduardo suggested Mark get a flu shot as he was around Dustin alot but he obviously didn’t. <br/>“I don’t get sick, Wardo” Mark had insisted, but Wardo wasn’t convinced. <br/>Mark wasn’t a very social person anyway but viruses can spread easily and if anyone was gonna catch it, it surely had to be Mark. </p>
<p>From outside of Mark’s bedroom, Dustin and Chris could be faintly heard talking and laughing whilst playing a video game, their voices slightly slurred from alcohol consumption. Eduardo smiled, glad that Dustin was doing better. Suddenly Mark let out a few coughs, slicing into the relaxed quiet. Eduardo noted he’d have to keep a close eye on that. Wardo yawned and realised he couldn’t keep his eyes open much longer. As sleepiness overtook him, Eduardo thought about how exhausted Mark must’ve felt. </p>
<p>3:27am<br/> Eduardo woke up to the sound of harsh coughing from Mark. He must’ve passed out on Mark’s bed a couple of hours prior. He sat up, sleepily and saw Mark typing furiously. <br/>“Mark.” Eduardo said, his voice tired. <br/>“Yeah” Mark replied, in his usual deadpan manner, not looking up from his screen. <br/>“Are you okay?” Eduardo asked. “That cough didn’t sound good” <br/>“Yes Wardo I’m fine” Mark responded, still not looking up. “Go back of sleep, you have class tomorrow” <br/>Toward the end of the sentence, Mark’s voice seemed to have gone hoarse. Eduardo came closer. The light of Mark’s laptop illuminated his face revealing that Mark looked very tired and very pale. Mark’s head bobbed downwards, as though he was beginning to slip into sleep. Eduardo watched as Mark’s head snapped back up as he tried to keep going but his eyes were burning from the light of the screen. Tiredly, Eduardo got to his feet and went towards Mark. He couldn’t let Mark carry on working like this. To Mark’s annoyance, Eduardo clicked the save button on Mark’s laptop. <br/>“Wardo...stop it” Mark mumbled, his voice small with exhaustion as he tried to push Wardo’s hand away. “I’m trying to work” <br/>Eduardo ignored Mark’s weak protest and shut his laptop. He lightly tugged on Mark’s gap hoodie, signalling that he should go to bed. Surprisingly, Mark actually stood up and made his way toward his bed as though he was admitting defeat. Mark lifted his arm up and coughed into the crook of his elbow. Eduardo placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, as Mark wiped his now watery eyes. Poor Mark. Mark crawled into bed and sneezed unexpectedly. <br/>“Bless you” Eduardo said, out of habit. “Sure you’re okay?”<br/>“Yes Wardo” Mark said, seemingly irritated. <br/>Mark pulled the blanket over his head, shutting his eyes and falling asleep almost instantly. Eduardo raised his eyebrows, surprised that Mark listened to him for once. As it was 3am Eduardo decided against going back to his own dorm (he was also slightly worried about Mark) and laid back down beside him. <br/>“Night, Mark” Eduardo whispered. </p>
<p>8:45am <br/>Mark woke up coughing violently. The sun was beginning to seep in through the curtains causing a headache to begin behind Mark’s eyes. There was a slight pain in the pit of his stomach and his throat was sore as though he’d swallowed shards of broken glass. He also felt freezing despite his hoodie and blanket. Mark let out an irritated sigh, he hated this. He’d been feeling kinda off for a few days but today really hit him with full force. </p>
<p>Eduardo had already left for class and Mark really wanted him. Just the presence of Eduardo made Mark feel better. About anything. For example he was scared that after the facemash incident he would get expelled from Harvard. Mark has scary, nauseating nightmares of returning to his parents empty of qualifications. Both Mark and Eduardo felt pressured to please their parents but being around one another incinerated this nagging fear. Mark got extremely awkward and anxious when asking for help with stuff. He was a grown man and shouldn’t bother others. </p>
<p>Mark thought about the code he was doing last night before he passed out and considered getting up to finish it off. However sitting up made his headache double, causing nausea. Mark slumped back down, coughing as sleep washed over him once again. </p>
<p>10:52am Eduardo was in the auditorium for a lecture, but he couldn’t pay attention. Mark was still sleeping when he left for class and didn’t look any better. Wardo had noticed Mark’s blanket was right up to his chin, suggesting he was cold despite the heating of his room. His phone kept buzzing. Eduardo unlocked it to see 5 consecutive emails from zuckonit@hardvard.edu. (sent from phone)</p>
<p>“Wardo… I don’t feel good” <br/>“Wardo… I think I’m dying”<br/>“Please come over” <br/>“Why are you Ignoring me” <br/>“Wardo” </p>
<p>Eduardo began to worry, although this was kinda expected. Mark seemed to be getting sick when he was round there last night, no matter how much he’d denied it. He imagined how bad Mark must be feeling, he rarely asked for help like this so it must be pretty bad. Not really absorbed in the lesson anyway, Eduardo started packing up to leave. When his teacher asked where he was going, Eduardo mumbled something about not feeling well. <br/>“Okay, feel better Mr Saverin” the professor said as Eduardo left. </p>
<p>Eduardo let himself into Mark’s dorm room. As he walked down the silent halls, he heard Mark coughing painfully from his bedroom. Eduardo cringed at the noise. It sounded worse than it did earlier. Mark was nestled amongst his bedsheets, looking up when he heard Eduardo enter. His eyes looked bleary and red rimmed and his face was even paler than usual. Something in Eduardo wanted to tell Mark off and explain that there was a lesson to be learnt from this: go to sleep at a normal time and eat regularly and you won’t get sick. However he’d never seen Mark look so pitiful and he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at him. Additionally Mark’s laptop was in the same place he left it. This was concerning as Mark was always on his laptop and an indication of tiredness. <br/>“Hey Mark,” Eduardo began, “you not feeling well?”<br/>He knew the answer but he thought it was the right thing to say. Mark shook his head and began coughing again. Tentatively, Eduardo sat down on the edge of Mark’s bed. Not sure about what to do, Eduardo thought back to what his mum would do when he was sick. He stretched his hand out to feel Mark’s forehead. The warmth emanated onto Eduardo’s hand and he furrowed his eyebrows nervously. He wondered how long this has been going on before he picked up on it. <br/>“You’ve definitely got a fever,” Eduardo told him. “You feel warm”<br/>“But wardo I’m cold,” Mark mumbled, pulling his bed sheet up to his chin again. <br/>“You’re sick, Mark,” Eduardo stated the obvious. “Have you eaten yet?”<br/>“No,” Mark replied. “Don’t want to” <br/>Eduardo didn’t know what to say to that. Mark was behaving so strangely. It was so unusual that he wasn’t acting like the cocky smartass he always seemed to be. He was so subdued and seemingly helpless. Eduardo fetched Mark a glass of water that he drank reluctantly. </p>
<p>Later </p>
<p>They both were both sitting on Mark’s bed. Mark had been eerily quiet apart from the intense coughs that racked his body. He let out a pitiful groan. Seeing Mark like this made Eduardo’s heart pang with sadness. <br/>“Hey Mark,” Eduardo said softly. “When I’m sick I watch movies. To keep my mind off it”<br/>Mark smiled slightly, seeming to like the idea. Eduardo got up and grabbed Mark's laptop, logging in. He went online and searched for a site that streamed shitty movies, ones that don’t require too much thought but still took Mark’s mind off his symptoms. <br/>“Is this okay?” Eduardo asked, gesturing toward the screen. <br/>“Mmm” Mark said, almost inaudibly. <br/>It wasn’t speech but Eduardo knew what he meant. Eduardo lied down, placing the laptop on top of the blanket they were now sharing. Mark inched closer and rested his head on Eduardo’s shoulder. <br/>“Wow you’re really clingy today” Eduardo laughed. <br/>“I’m cold” Mark responded bluntly. “You’re warm” <br/>This was Mark’s way of saying “I really like your company”. Mark doesn’t remember the last time he was this sick, it was probably high school. He’d had a few colds and headaches since being at Harvard but it hadn’t blocked his ability to attend class. That is until now. His whole brain was extremely foggy and throbbing and he could barely stand up without verging on collapse. His joints ached as though he’d been hit by a truck. </p>
<p>Mark fell asleep before the 10 minute Mark of the movie hit, his head buried in Eduardo’s shoulder. But it was a very interrupted sleep. Mark kept waking himself up coughing or having weird fever dreams. Mumbling about various things such as being kicked out of Harvard and apologising for being a dick. </p>
<p>Later </p>
<p> “Hey mark- “ Dustin said, walking in before he cut himself off. “..oh my god” <br/>A grin spread across Dustin’s face and he reached into his pocket for his phone. <br/>Eduardo had his arm around Mark, stroking his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. They were sharing a blanket and nestled close to each other. Mark opened his eyes, blinking tiredly. <br/>“Jesus mark you look like shit” Dustin said, amused. “You must have what I had”<br/>“...fuck off Dustin” Mark said In a way that was uncharacteristically quiet.<br/>Dustin raised his eyebrows at Mark’s weak protest. It was amusing and unexpected. <br/>“Okay...but not before I take pictures” Dustin responded. “This is adorable”<br/>Dustin giggled before taking a few pictures of Mark and Eduardo, cooing as he did. Mark lied back down, closing his eyes. He felt too sick to care that much and pulled his hoodie up so it covered half of his face. Dustin was a great friend, but Mark didn’t have the energy to keep up with his antics today. Eduardo found this sight simply adorable but also couldn’t help but worry. <br/>“Really not feeling good buddy?” Eduardo said softly. <br/>Mark shook his head, his throat hurting too much to feel like talking. Dustin smiled at them both sympathetically before walking out of the room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>- - - I wrote a second part that I’ll probably upload soon - - -</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry this is kinda OOC, hope you enjoy anyway :-)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eduardo woke up a while later, his neck slightly stiff. He’d fallen asleep a little while after Dustin left. The warmth and dimly lit room was relaxing. The credits of the movie were now rolling, chirpy music playing quietly. He looked down to see Mark curled up beside him, his mouth open slightly. A pink flush had spread across his cheeks due to fever. Eduardo could hear Mark’s snuffling and uneven breathing. Mark looked so small lying there. So peaceful and relaxed.  Usually, Mark looked hyper-focused and the stress of a thousand thoughts could be seen in his eyes. Eduardo hoped Mark’s mind wasn’t racing too much. It was nice to see Mark actually sleeping. Eduardo didn’t recall ever seeing Mark sleep this much before. He was coming up to 12 hours asleep, it must’ve been a world record for him. </p><p>However Eduardo was concerned that Mark had not eaten yet. Slowly, In order to make less noise, Eduardo got out of the bed and put Mark’s laptop back on charge before making his way to Dustin’s room. Due to Dustin getting sick before Mark, Eduardo assumed he’d have some medicine to help with Mark’s symptoms. <br/>“Hey” Eduardo saId to Dustin, who was sitting on his bed looking at his laptop. <br/>His hair was slightly messy as though he’d taken a nap. <br/>“Hey man” Dustin smiled “how’s Mark?” <br/>“Not so good, I don’t want to wake him but I don’t think he’s eaten in a day” Eduardo replied, “have you got any meds?” <br/>Dustin nodded and gave Eduardo a small box of pills that had been sitting on his desk. <br/>“These should work good enough for now, but I doubt Mark will want to take them.” Dustin explained. <br/>Smiling thankfully, Eduardo made his way to the kitchen to fetch some more water for more Mark. </p><p>Eduardo returned to see Mark waking up. He blinked, eyes adjusting to the light before sitting up feebly. He coughed harshly again and Eduardo held himself back from wincing. It sounded painful.<br/>“Hey” Eduardo said, “how do you feel?” <br/>Mark shrugged. The dryness in his throat indicated that if he spoke not much would come out apart from a whisper. Additionally, he felt awkward talking about his feelings in front of Eduardo. Fortunately for him, his pale and feverish appearance was enough to answer Eduardo’s question. <br/>“I’ve got some medication for you. You really should take it” Eduardo explained, showing Mark the packet he’d collected from Dustin. <br/>Eduardo anticipated that Mark would refuse to take the medication, claiming it would make his brain feel foggy. Eduardo reminisced on when Mark’s mother tried to get him to take vitamin and Mark threw them in the trash. However Mark surprisingly took the pills from Eduardo’s hand and swallowed them without complaint. Not that Mark could complain as he barely had any voice. This made Eduardo realise how sick Mark must be feeling and he sympathized with Chris’s worry. </p><p>The meds helped a bit and Mark got a small energy burst a little while later. His headache still remained but was dull, meaning he could think about code. <br/>“Can I carry on with my work?” Mark asked Eduardo, a smile finally creeping onto his face. <br/>“There is no way I’m letting you do that” Eduardo responded, picking up Mark’s laptop and placing it on the other side of his room. He couldn’t risk Mark having a further burnout in addition to what was already going on. If Mark started back to coding, it would be difficult to get him to stop and he needed the rest. <br/>“Why?” Mark whined, pouting. “I’m bored”<br/>The sentence was punctuated by violent coughing from Mark. <br/>“That’s why” Eduardo explained. <br/>Despite this Mark attempted to stand up, which was a mistake. The room lurched violently and Mark felt as though he was going to pass out. Nausea filled his stomach and black spots appeared in his vision. Eduardo quickly steadied Mark and sat him back down on his bed. <br/>“Don’t even think about it” Eduardo said sternly. “Now I’m gonna make you some food”<br/>“Not hungry” Mark mumbled, weakly. <br/>Eduardo gave him a sympathetic look, unsure of what to say. </p><p>With great reluctance, Mark ate a small amount of food that Eduardo had prepared for him. Mark was too much of an asshole to admit it but he really appreciated Eduardo doing all this for him. Afterwards, tiredness overtook him once more and Mark buried his head deep in Wardo’s neck, looking for the comforting and familiar scent that would send him back to sleep. </p><p>Nausea tw - v*mit <br/>12:30am <br/>Mark groaned and clutched his stomach, regretting eating more than anything. The pain was pretty unbearable. The medication had worn off significantly and Mark’s illness was back in full force. Wincing in agony, Mark looked over at Eduardo who was sleeping peacefully with his back to him. The digital clock Mark owned indicated it was past midnight meaning Mark had been sleeping for hours. In spite of this Mark still felt exhausted. Mark crawled out of bed and suddenly broke into a sprint toward the bathroom as his nausea worsened. Dropping to his knees. He threw up painfully and let out a pitiful whimper. He hadn’t thrown up in years and had forgotten how terrible it was. He felt the sudden urge to start crying, which is also something he hadn’t done in a while. Mark was overcome with dizziness so sat on the ground, waiting for it to pass. </p><p>Eduardo woke up to the sound of distant coughing. Searching in the darkness, Eduardo looked around the room. Realising that Mark wasn’t there, he got up sleepily and found Mark in the bathroom. He was sitting on the ground, shivering with tears silently going down his cheeks. <br/>“Ohh Mark” Eduardo said sympathetically, kneeling down next to him. <br/>“Wardo I don’t feel good” Mark whimpered quietly. <br/>“I know,” Eduardo whispered, placing his hand on Mark’s forehead. <br/>The heat made Eduardo wonder if Mark needed to go to the hospital. But he also knew Mark would hate it and he didn’t have a car to take him. So instead Eduardo gave him some water and took him back to bed. He didn’t fall asleep for a while. He just stared at Mark worridley, listening to his laboured breaths. </p><p>The next morning, Mark woke up feeling slightly better. He looked over to see Eduardo sleeping next to him, their faces so close together. The watery sunlight was shining on Eduardo’s cheek giving Mark a good view of his face. He looked so peaceful and adorable and it made Mark’s heart flutter a little. Then Mark remembered the night before and embarrassment flooded his body. <br/>“Shit” he whispered. <br/>Eduardo’s eyes opened quickly, a worried look in them. He was sleeping only lightly Incase Mark needed him. <br/>“What’s wrong Mark?” He said, concern evident in his voice. <br/>“I’m sorry about last night...it’s embarrassing” Mark answered, not able to look Eduardo in the eyes. <br/>“Hey hey, it’s fine” Eduardo said softly. “I don’t mind. really” <br/>Wardo wrapped his arms around Mark, bringing him into a hug. Mark wasn’t big on physical contact but this was nice. It really was. Eduardo combed his hand through Mark’s messy hair.</p>
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